With You
by Forgotten Muse
Summary: ARCHIVED
1. Default Chapter

'With You'

By T. 'RockChick' Evans

Original idea by Pyro Angel

Disclaimer- don't own anyone except the members of Shadow's band, I made them up. Don't own the lyrics either, Linkin Park does. And there's some Creed in there somewhere too.

Author's note-- OK, three sources of inspiration here. Firstly, Pyro Angel's fic 'Innocence'. This is a kinda sequel or A.U, so read that first. (Yes, that fic is comedy while this is more angst. But I suck at comedy, even though I did try to put a little funny stuff in here!) Secondly, a drawing I did a while back of Shadow playing the guitar, and thirdly, the song 'With You' by Linkin Park. Among others.

If you haven't read 'Innocence', here's what happened: Shadow sort of regenerated himself after SA2, and turned up on Amy's doorstep as a baby with little or no memory of the past. He's grown up a bit since then, and is now firmly wedged in the throes of teenage angst… which would make Sonic & Amy, um, somewhere in their early thirties, I think… OK, enough talk. Let's get on with it.

(by the way, Shadow is out-of-character on purpose, K?)

* * * *

__

"You like to think you're never wrong

you have to act like you're someone

you want someone to hurt like you

you want to share what you've been through

you live what you learn…"

The fifteen- year-old hedgehog's voice faded into silence as his fingers picked out the last few chords of the song. The metal riff echoed around the garage where the band was rehearsing, before finally dying out.

Shadow the hedgehog turned to the other band members and grinned.

"It's really starting to come together," he remarked, shrugging off his electric guitar and placing it back on its stand.

Sid the bassist did likewise.

"It should be," the tabby cat replied, "Seeing as the gig is next week."

The black and red hedgehog grabbed his gloves from the top of the amplifier and put them on.

"Don't worry, we'll be ready in time. As always."

Sid hmphed. 'Always' didn't really amount to much, what with the band being so new. The four young members hadn't played very many venues yet, but as Shadow- who was responsible for song-writing as well as lead guitar and vocals- had said, they were always ready on time. 

The hedgehog had only recently discovered his talent for writing music. The songs varied from raging nu-metal to soft rock ballads, but all had a strange, melancholy aspect.

Shadow himself had no idea how he came up with all these angst-laden lyrics, but as he put it- as long as it resulted in good songs, he didn't much care.

"Hey, Shad." A tortoiseshell cat with yellow eyes stood up from behind a keyboard and special effects unit. She was Sid's sister, and for some reason that everyone had by now forgotten, her nickname was Toots.

"Yeah?"

"We're playing 'Points of Authority'," she began, "And _then _'My Sacrifice.' Right?"

"Right," Shadow confirmed, nodding. "We'll do the fast one first. That way we can get the audience going, ready for the slow stuff."

"Good plan," the human drummer chimed in from the back.

The black hedgehog nodded before glancing quickly at his watch. His red eyes went wide.

"8 pm? Uh oh. Gotta run!"

Sid chuckled evilly.

"Past your bedtime, is it?"

"Shut it," Shadow growled dangerously, inciting giggles from everyone else. He sighed, embarrassed. "…I'm just…late."

"For?" Toots interrogated, suspiciously wondering if the loner hedgehog had finally found himself a girlfriend.

"Uh… well, dinner," Shadow replied grudgingly, seeing his cool image disintegrate around him. He nervously scratched a pointed ear and blushed slightly. Here he was, running home to his 'parents'… how embarrassing… 

The tortoiseshell sniggered. 

"I get it. Scared to face Amy's wrath if you're late for a meal."

Shadow said nothing, seeing as it was pretty much the truth. Instead he searched around for his black denim jacket.

"I'll catch you later, guys," he said, finding it. Unfortunately there was a green scaly thing as long as his arm curled up on top of it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"

Everyone covered their ears as Shadow seemed to freeze solid.

"W…what… is … that?!" he hissed when he finally stopped yelling, pointing at the reptile.

Dave the drummer calmly walked over, deftly picked the creature up and perched it on his shoulder. 

"This? Just my pet iguana. She's quite harmless…"

Shadow looked up at the taller human and grimaced. The lizard's pale green eyes stared balefully back.

Grabbing his jacket, the hedgehog scowled.

"Just keep that thing away from me. I hate lizards."

Dave was surprised, and nervously ran a hand through his blonde hair without dislodging his passenger.

"Uh… she won't bite you or anything…"

"I don't care. I really hate those things. Ugh."

He briskly brushed the jacket down and put it on, shuddering. Thankfully, the drummer took his pet away, quietly reassuring the confused iguana.

"I just… hate them," Shadow muttered to himself, watching gratefully as Dave nodded and waved to the others, then left the garage to take the creature home. 

Shadow was reminded of something… that dream he kept having…

"You know," Sid began jokingly, "For someone who thinks he's such a tough guy, you sure have a lot of phobias."

"I do not," the ebony hedgehog replied indignantly.

"Oh, come on. We saw you just now, you freaked!" Sid's sister grinned. "What is it about reptiles that's so scary anyway? I think they're kind of cute."

"You would," Sid deadpanned. The female feline shook a fist at him.

By now, Shadow had put his guitar back in its hard case. He sat on the box and sighed.

"I… I don't know…" he murmured confusedly. "Maybe it's something I saw once, or…"

"…And we all know what you think of heights," Toots continued, oblivious. "I remember one time when…"

"It's not the heights that bother me," interrupted Shadow. "It's falling from them." He grinned slightly. "Now will you please stop listing my neuroses? Or is there anything else you'd like to add?!!"

Sid smirked and nodded his fuzzy brown head.

"Well, there's that thing you have about fire. Plus, you're the only person I know who ever passed out when watching Star Wars…"

"I was eight years old, for God's sake."

"So was I," the cat replied, amused. "And I didn't faint."

"Faint?!" Shadow exclaimed. "I didn't faint. I was tired. I fell asleep."

"The film had only just started, you couldn't have been that tired. One look at the Death Star and you were out cold…"

"I didn't faint," the irked hedgehog firmly repeated.

"Okay, okay!" The tabby raised his hands to placate his annoyed friend. "No need to bite my head off…"

"It is kind of weird though, Shad." Toots thoughtfully flicked her tail from side to side. "You're scared of sci-fi films, heights, getting burned and lizards. Hey--" the brown-and-ginger cat grinned. "Maybe you were an astronaut in an earlier life. Or got fried by a dragon!" the girl laughed out loud, not knowing how close to the truth she really was. Shadow also smirked and gave a snort of laughter.

"Very funny. You have some imagination… maybe you should be writing the songs around here!"

Toots grinned slyly.

"Be careful I don't take your place, pal."

"That'll be the day," Shadow replied. He gave an amused little shake of his head. "Then again, maybe you'll have to after my 'parents' get through with me." The two feline siblings grinned to themselves at his remark, as the striped hedgehog headed for the open garage door with his guitar case in hand. Sid yelled a goodbye.

"See ya later, dragon-slayer from outer space!"

Shadow paused for a moment, wearing a slight frown .

"Yeah, see ya…" he replied distractedly.

* * * *

Later that night, Shadow sat in his room with a pad of paper on his lap and a pencil in hand. He glanced out of the window for a moment, fixing his ruby eyes on the 'full' moon. The shattered orb had always fascinated him, even as a young child… like many things in his life, it seemed to remind him of something that his mind couldn't quite grasp. He wondered again what had carved that huge crater in it. It wasn't as if he hadn't asked, but his adoptive parents had always been so evasive about it… all he could get out of them was that it had happened a long time ago, and he didn't need to worry about it.

The hedgehog sighed, turning his attention once more to the unfinished sketch. He could never really call himself a great artist, but the image on the page was recognisable enough. After carefully adding a few lines here and there, he held the picture out in front of him and scrutinised it.

There, done.

"Who are you…" he whispered to the girl's silent image. The wide eyes seemed to stare mournfully at him, impenetrable.

He stared at the drawing for a few more seconds. Whoever she was, this nameless young girl had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember. A recurring nightmare that always included her, and one that had been getting more vivid lately.

Shadow knew she was important to him somehow, but didn't know why… and whenever he saw it, the sight of her face made him feel so.. so empty inside. 

If only he could remember her name… maybe it was something to do with whatever had damaged the moon…

The hedgehog blinked, suddenly inspired. Ideas always came at times like this. 

He turned the page, and slowly began to write.

About half an hour, various mistakes and corrections later, the young hedgehog put down his pencil and re-read the words on the page.

__

"I woke up in a dream today

to the cold of the static and put my cold feet on the floor

forgot all about yesterday

remembering I'm pretending to be who I'm not anymore

a little taste of hypocrisy

and I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react

even though you're so close to me

you're still so distant and I can't bring you back…"

Shadow closed the sketchpad and smiled a little. There were the makings of a good song there. He leaned back in the chair and shut his eyes for a moment, trying to imagine what a suitable tune would sound like. 

He jerked back into alertness as he heard footsteps outside, and the doorknob turned slowly.

"No need to sneak. I'm awake," the hedgehog called, smirking.

Amy Rose stuck her head round the door before crossing the room. The pink hedgehog sat on the bed, seeing as the chair by the window was taken.

"It's one in the morning. Shouldn't you be--"

"I'm not a baby anymore," Shadow interrupted, glancing at his 'mother'. Not his real mother, of course- he had no idea who his real parents were, or even if he had any. But Amy and Sonic were the ones who had found him, and brought him up…

Another unsolved mystery. The black hedgehog sighed and looked out at the moon again.

There was a short silence as Amy regarded the teenager, who she had come to think of as her son. His face was framed in the moonlight, reminding her of the past… fifteen or sixteen years ago, when she had found him staring into space through ARK's window. Just before the Finalhazard… he had had the same strange, thoughtful look on his face…

The reborn Shadow didn't remember that, nor anything else from his past life. At fifteen, he now looked almost identical to the 'old' Shadow except perhaps a little younger… the black fur and red markings were the same as Amy remembered, as was the fluffy white patch on his chest. OK, he had a pierced ear now. His shoes were different, and he no longer wore those bracelets on his wrists. But that was nothing major. Even his voice was now hauntingly familiar.

As a person though… well, he was totally different. Shadow actually took after Sonic.

But recently…

"Is everything all right?" the female hedgehog asked.

"Huh?" Shadow turned his gaze away from the window. "I was just thinking…"

"What about?"

"Nothing…" 

There it was again, Amy noticed. Over the last few months, Shadow had been getting this look in his eyes every so often. It disturbed her a little because she had seen that look before…

Maybe he was starting to remember. Or maybe it was just Shadow being a teenager. Amy smiled; she had been pretty wacky during her own teen years, and Sonic could testify to that.

"So, how come you were late for dinner again today?" she asked finally, tilting her head to the side a little. 

"I was rehearsing with the band."

"Again? You know, I'm not to sure about this band thing--"

Shadow frowned.

"Why not?! I'm just doing what I'm good at."

Amy sighed and didn't answer. She wouldn't have disapproved normally, but she had read some of the lyrics… so like the 'old' Shadow. And he had only started to behave strangely since he had joined that band. It seemed to be bringing things to the surface that should stay buried… it was better for him if he didn't remember. 

"Besides," the ebony hedgehog continued, "I've always felt like there's, I don't know… something missing. Something I should be doing." He paused, sighed, and stared out of the window again. "At the first gig we played, there were some people at the front who were really enjoying themselves. And…" Shadow trailed off, searching for the right words. "…It made me feel… complete, for once. I guess I just want to make people happy." 

The hedgehog looked back at his 'mother' and smiled warmly, his expression halting any criticism that Amy might have made. After all this time, she thought wonderingly, Shadow was still trying to fulfil his promise. Even if he couldn't remember it! And he seemed so happy…

Unsure, the pink hedgehog shook her head.

"I suppose it's your life, Shadow… you're right. You aren't a baby any more." She got up to leave, and Shadow wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a sniff.

What? Was she just going to leave?

"…'night," he murmured, a little bemused, as Amy closed the door behind her.

What the heck was that all about? No nagging, no lecture, nothing! The teen frowned slightly. All he had done was say how he felt, but whatever it was had touched a nerve. Something _was _going on here…

Hmm…

Still frowning and puzzled, Shadow opened his sketchbook and studied the drawing of the human girl. He turned the page and looked over the short snatch of lyrics, then glanced through the window at the broken moon.

All his instincts told him there was some connection. And now his mother was acting like she had something to hide… weird. 

Putting the book on the bedside table, he searched around until he found his mobile phone. After quickly punching in a number, he impatiently paced back and forth across the floor as he waited for an answer.

Ring, fumble, clunk. Someone swore on the other end of the line.

"…Uuh?"

"Sid, it's me." Shadow hissed quietly so that his parents couldn't hear.

"Nghhh… Shad? This'd better be important." The groggy voice sounded half-asleep and more than a little annoyed. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Wake up, sleepy head. I need to talk to you- it's urgent."

"… Can't it wait until morning? It's…" there was a silence as the cat checked the clock. "Ten past one?! Geez, Shadow! Do you ever sleep?!"

The hedgehog chuckled nervously. Oh yeah… it was kind of late. He'd forgotten about that.

"Uh, sorry. Listen, I have this great new idea for a song, and--"

"You woke me up for THAT?!" the irate Sid practically screamed down the phone. "Let's talk about it tomorrow, okay? 'Night!"

"No, don't hang up! Wait, that's not all--"

Click.

"Damn." Shadow dialled again. "Pick up, you lazy little…"

Clunk. A growl.

"Now what?!"

"Sid, I need a favour."

The tabby cat sighed resignedly down the phone.

"If I say yes, will you go away?"

Shadow grinned to himself.

"I need you to look something up for me…"

Another sigh.

"Fire away."

"I want you to find out exactly what happened to the moon. My parents won't tell me anything, and I've got this hunch that…"

"Shadow," Sid interrupted, "You are one weird hedgehog. I'll see what I can find in the morning, okay?"

"Thanks, pal. I owe you one," he replied, smirking. Sid grumbled something unintelligible, and hung up.

The black and red hedgehog put the phone aside and flopped onto the bed with a satisfied sigh. Perhaps now he would find some answers!

* * * *

To be continued!

RockChick: OK, cruddy ending I know. And nothing much happens. But chapter 2 will be up soon!

Shadow: What have you _done_ to me? I'm all… smiley!! Aarrrgh!

Amy: I'm _old!_

Sonic: I'm not even in it!

RockChick: OK, so these guys hate the fic. But all you nice people on ff.net like it, right?

(There is silence. A few crickets chirp. We hear a pin drop a few miles away.)

RockChick: Uh, people? Hello?

Shadow: Face it, there's no one here. No one ever reads your stuff…

Sonic: No one ever reviews…

Amy: Problem is, your fics are too long- and you've already been told that Fleetway fics scare people away…

RockChick: This fic isn't Fleetway, so there.

Sonic: How is anyone supposed to know that? Did I mention that your summaries are rubbish too?

RockChick: *sniffle* You're mean! I'm gonna cry!

Everyone: Noooooo---!!!!

(Arggh! RockChick is about to drown ff.net in a flood of tears! Who will save us?! Calling all the good people of ff.net-- Prove Shadow, Amy and Sonic wrong by leaving some reviews! Flames or rants… something, anything! You're our only hope!)

(A/N --My other fic, Reflections, has not died. I'm working on it.)


	2. chapter 2

'With You' chapter 2

By T. 'RockChick' Evans

Original idea by Pyro Angel

Authors note: I've never had this many reviews. Thanks everyone! I'm happy now! 

…actually, Bon Jovi's new single may have had something to do with my unusual chirpyness, too. (it'll work its way into this fic if I'm not careful…)

Wow, I don't have writer's block yet. And Lighthawk, in answer to your question, the moon was blown up over 15 years ago. It's not exactly headline news! People haven't forgotten though, they just haven't told Shadow… :)

(Fleetway alert, Fleetway alert! Spot the Fleetway character! Heheh…)

--RockChick

* * * *

The girl stared at him and spoke his name in a familiar voice. Her blue eyes were wide and sad, as if pleading for him to do something…to remember… she said something else, but he couldn't make it out.

The face faded away into the dark and Shadow had a sudden, inexplicable feeling of loss…and guilt. What had happened to her? Was it his fault?

Loss, guilt and…revenge?

The guilt came from there, too. He had done _something._

Something to avenge… what? Who?

Her?

He couldn't bear it any more--

His mental voice screamed in anguish as his feelings solidified into another image that emerged from the blackness. It had an orange-red hide and a crushing jaw, and no eyes. Just metal plates where they should have been.

The great reptile screeched right back, thrusting its huge ugly head towards him. The gaping, toothless mouth opened wide to engulf the defenceless hedgehog.

And then he was falling. It was so high up, and so _hot…_ searing, burning pain, then everything went black and silent…

* * * *

…Shadow gasped and sat up in bed, panting. He shook his head hard, and willed his body to stop trembling.

Just a dream… worse than usual, but just a dream…

The hedgehog took a deep breath, succeeding in calming himself down a little. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was--

--Of course. He was at home, and it was Sunday morning. Quite late Sunday morning, judging by the light coming through the window. He frowned. As the recurring dream often did, it had given him an urge to write.

Shadow swung his legs out of bed and grabbed the sketchpad and pencil from the bedside table, wanting to get it down in writing when it was still fresh in his mind. He scanned the lyrics he had written the night before, and smiled grimly at how fitting they were. Now he had the chorus to go with them.

His hand hovered over the paper for an instant. Then, all in a rush, he scribbled down a few more lines beneath the existing ones.

__

"It's true the way I feel

was promised by your face

the sound of your voice

painted on my memories

even if you're not with me

I'm with you…

You, now I see, keeping everything inside

You, now I see, even when I close my eyes…"

Shadow frowned; he could remember a lot more of the dream this time. He looked over the words on the page. Sometimes it was the nightmare that triggered the writing, sometimes the other way around. It was like… like there was something inside him that needed to come to the surface. In any way possible. And those dreams were so real- almost like memories! It reminded him of stories he had heard about amnesia victims…

But that wasn't possible, he had never had amnesia. Maybe it was something to do with his mysterious origins… Shadow had been found as a small baby, and obviously couldn't remember much from back then. 

…but babies don't go looking for revenge, do they?! And if he had fallen from somewhere, on fire- as he had in the dream- shouldn't he still have burn scars?

Now he was getting a headache. The dark hedgehog rubbed his forehead ruefully; it was all so confusing! He couldn't be imagining things, could he?

But maybe he wouldn't have to wonder after today, if Sid had found something out…

Shadow grinned to himself. He'd go visit his friend right now! Of course, the cat would probably have a lot to say about Shadow turning up so soon- it was only…eleven o clock? He _had _slept late. 

His parents would have something to say about that, too.

The hedgehog sighed. Then again, Sid, being the lazy creature that he was, probably wasn't even up yet either. Shadow decided to give him a few hours before paying him a visit… in the meantime he would find something else to do.

He yawned and stretched before ransacking his teen mess of a bedroom for something to wear.

One pair of gloves, some black and red trainers and a silver hoop earring later, Shadow headed for the door. As an afterthought he grabbed his backpack and stuffed his sketchpad and pencil into it.

* * * *

"Hey dad. What's up?" Shadow said, after emerging from the bathroom.

Sonic looked away from the TV and grinned.

"Huh? The usual… saving the world, etc…"

"Riiight. What from, bad soap operas?" 

The blue hedgehog chuckled.

"Hey. I'm supposed to be the one with the attitude around here, okay?" 

Now in his thirties, Sonic hadn't really changed much. He had the look of someone with experience, but was still just an overgrown 17-year-old at heart. And he was most definitely still in the hero business; Robotnik may have gone into early retirement but there were always other villains to be battled. 

But right now, it was Sunday morning and he was relaxing.

"You should see the latest nutcase out for world domination," Sonic continued, as matter-of-factly as if he was discussing what he'd had for breakfast. "What's his name… Sidewinder or something. I'm telling you, he's crazy." The hedgehog smirked and shook his head, amused. "And I'll give you three guesses what he's after."

Shadow sat down on the couch. The two hedgehogs looked at each other and grinned.

"The Chaos Emeralds," they said simultaneously.

"Predictable, huh?" Sonic smirked.

"Yeah, there's always some idiot looking for those things…" Shadow paused, thoughtfully. "Why don't you let me help out for a change? I'm just as fast as you are, and I--"

"You're also fifteen years old," the older hedgehog interrupted. "You could get hurt."

Silently, he added: 'and I don't want you to end up fighting for the rest of your life again…'

Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. I can look after myself and you know it. Besides, I bet you were out getting into trouble when you were younger than me…"

The blue one snorted.

"Huh, that's not the point. We've had this conversation before, and you know I'm not gonna change my mind on this one."

"Yeah…" the teen sighed, defeated. For the umpteenth time. There was a short silence.

"I had that dream again," the ebony hedgehog remarked after a while, frowning.

Sonic was suddenly dead serious, green eyes intently regarding his 'son'.

"Forget about it. It's only a dream, Shadow."

Shadow narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure?" he gave his father a crimson-eyed glare. "Because I get the feeling that there's more to this than you or my mother are letting on."

"It's nothing," Sonic said quietly. The blue hedgehog looked down, unable to meet his stare.

"I knew it," Shadow said darkly. "There _is _something going on. There's a reason why I keep having these nightmares, and why I'm scared of some things. Something happened to me, and I want to know what it was."

Sonic shook his head gravely, still not looking the fifteen year old in the eye.

"No, you don't." He whispered. The hedgehog's voice sounded weary for once, as if he knew he was trying to explain something that his son couldn't possibly understand. 

He was right about that.

The black hedgehog scowled and sprang to his feet.

"Have you got any idea how frustrating this is?!" Shadow snapped like a typical teen, incensed. "Why do you always have to keep things from me? I hate this!" infuriated, he grabbed his bag and stormed out the door, pausing only to mutter that he was "goin' out". Sonic didn't bother to follow him, knowing it was better to let Shadow cool off by himself. The blue hedgehog listened to the door slam and sighed.

"It's for your own good…" he murmured sadly.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat. Sonic looked around, to see an attractive pink hedgehog standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi, Aims." Sonic greeted his wife with a small smile as Amy walked over.

"What was that all about?" she asked, sitting down. "I heard shouting."

Sonic shrugged.

"Teenagers, huh?" he said, faking a grin. Amy Rose regarded him sceptically.

"I think it was more than that," she observed softly. The blue hedgehog sighed.

"Yeah," he replied. "I guess it was. Shadow is starting to ask questions about, well, you know…"

Amy nodded in understanding.

"He might be starting to remember things. I've noticed it too," she sighed and brushed her fringe, now a lot longer than in her teenage years, away from her eyes. "He's had a sheltered life. We've tried… but his band business seems to be bringing his memory back to the surface. Or maybe it's supposed to be this way, and Shadow was programmed to get his memory back when he reached a certain age."

Sonic looked down.

"I… I feel pretty bad about keeping things from him, but it's for the best, right?" he looked back up at Amy for support, and she smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's for the best."

They had both agreed from the beginning to shield Shadow from the events of his past life for as long as possible. Sonic and Amy were determined to give him as normal and happy a childhood as they could; not many people got a second chance as Shadow had, and this time it would not be a living hell.

So far, they had succeeded. 

"I suppose it was going to happen someday," Sonic mused quietly. "The first thing Shadow did when he saw me was hit me over the head with his rattle." The hedgehog smirked at the memory. "…The 'old' Shadow was still in there somewhere, even then."

Amy smirked back, but the smile didn't last long.

"If he does remember, imagine what it'll do to him…" she shuddered. Sonic didn't much like the thought either. Shadow was so different now, so much more emotional-- as he had just demonstrated. He was adventurous, maybe a little wild… 

Exactly like me, Sonic realised with a start.

If he remembered, would that change? Would he become the cold, near-emotionless person that he had been before?

"I… I don't want to lose him," Amy sniffed, echoing Sonic's thoughts. The blue hedgehog glanced at her and realised she was close to tears.

"Hey, don't…" Sonic slipped a peach-furred arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay…" he murmured, his own voice sounding a little choked.

"…I hope," he thought.

* * * *

Shadow's feet pounded the ground as he ran, not really heading anywhere in particular. He needed to calm down, and running helped. It was one of many things he was good at; he had even beaten Sonic!

People dived out of the way of the black and red blur. Most of them were used to either Sonic or Shadow bombing through the area quite regularly, so few complained anymore- not that the hedgehog could have heard their shouts anyway at the speed he was going.

He had never heard them complain, and had never heard them talk about anything relating to himself either, he realised. Or anything about the moon, for that matter. Weird… perhaps Sonic or Amy were exerting their considerable influence to shut people up. 

That annoyed the young hedgehog even more. Obviously running was not going to be enough.

He slowed to a halt, finding himself near the entrance of a large and familiar park. Shadow walked over to the gate and paused to read the sign: skateboarding, roller blading and cycling prohibited.

A small and dangerous smirk appeared on his face. He leaned casually against the signpost and pushed a button on each of his trainers; they were the type with little retractable wheels underneath which turned them into roller blades.

Shadow was good at running. But when it came to skating, he was a natural. The hedgehog tore through the park, whipping past other kids who were doing things they weren't allowed to, and saw a set of steps leading down.

Well, that was no problem. There was a rail to grind.

He reached the end of the rail and leaped into a somersault, landing perfectly on his feet without losing his balance. Shadow grinned to himself as he rolled to a stop.

"Show off," a voice tutted. The black hedgehog glanced over his shoulder to see someone descending the stairs behind him; a feline whose fur was a mixture of dark brown, black and ginger.

"Who, me?" the hedgehog smirked. 

"I've been looking for you everywhere," Toots said. "C'mon, me and Sid have got some stuff to show you."

* * * *

Sid was waiting outside his home as his sister arrived with Shadow.

"Hi, spaceman," the tabby grinned as Shadow glided to a halt in front of the house. The hedgehog rolled his eyes at Sid's remark, deciding not to give him the satisfaction of an answer. He fiddled with his shoes so that the wheels retracted back into the soles.

"So, what'd you find out?" Shadow asked curiously.

"You mean, what did _I _find out." Toots shot her brother a glare. "While he was lazing about in bed, I was looking things up on the Internet."

Sid chuckled.

"Hey sis, you're the one who knows her way around a computer, not me."

"And?" the black hedgehog impatiently demanded.

"And," the tortoiseshell chided, "You're lucky I was able to find anything at all. Would you believe that some of that stuff was classified?"

Sid nodded to emphasise the point. When he spoke, his voice was hushed.

"She even had to hack into the server of some old military group that was disbanded years ago. What were they called… 'Cannon?'"

"G.U.N," Toots supplied. "And I couldn't read the files anyway, they were encrypted."

"Hmmm…" Shadow frowned. "G.U.N… that sounds familiar…" 

Toots regarded him gravely.

"What kind of trouble are you in, Shadow?" Two pairs of eyes, one yellow and one greenish brown, stared at the ebony hedgehog with concern.

"None that I know of," he shrugged, bewildered. "I just wanted to know how the moon got blown up. Just a… a hunch, I suppose."

The two cats looked at each other. Sid raised an eyebrow and tapped the side of his head with a forefinger- 'he's crazy'- then shrugged.

"Dunno why you're getting into this stuff," he said, turning back to the hedgehog. "I mean, it's old news. But we printed out everything we could find, anyway- there's some old newspaper articles, stuff like that…"

Shadow's eyes seemed to light up.

"Thanks, guys," he interrupted eagerly. "Can I see them?"

Sid looked at his sister with a sly little grin on his face.

"Well, now that all depends…" he smirked. Toots grinned back.

Shadow frowned, sensing something fishy going on. _Now_ what were they up to…

"Depends on what?" he asked, slowly and suspiciously.

"On how much you want them," Toots replied, pointing up.

Red eyes tracked upwards until they picked out the fat cardboard folder.

…Which was on the roof.

"You must be joking," muttered Shadow. He shook his head. "I'm not climbing up there. No way."

"You'll have to if you want that information," Toots grinned. "It's about time you got over your fear of heights…"

"I am _not _going up there."

Sid chuckled.

"You said it yourself- it's not the heights, it's falling from them. And you won't fall."

"I don't care," the black hedgehog growled. "There's absolutely no way I'm gonna climb up on that roof. No chance."

* * * *

…Shadow grabbed the sill of the upstairs window, then released his grip on the drainpipe and swung onto the narrow ledge. He pulled himself up and sat there for a moment, before risking a glance down.

The ground wasn't really that far away…

Who was he kidding?! Of course it was. The hedgehog gulped, and froze for a moment.

What the heck was he doing up here anyway? He could have looked up that information for himself… he didn't need to risk breaking his neck.

But he wanted that file, wanted it badly. And even though his better judgement told him otherwise, some scathing inner voice had urged him to climb. He was being totally pathetic, it hissed. What kind of sorry excuse for a hedgehog was he, if he didn't even have the nerve to climb a two- story building to retrieve a folder which possibly contained life-changing information?

And what was worse, he was chickening out in front of his best friends.

How pathetic.

Shadow looked down again, and shuddered as he fought off a bought of vertigo. He made a mental note to tell his inner voice to shut up and leave him alone.

Below, Sid lifted his striped head and raised an eyebrow.

"Well? You're not there yet. Keep going!"

Shadow scowled.

"…Those two are gonna get it when I get down from here… stupid cats…" he muttered quietly to himself, his voice trailing off into a string of incoherent grumbles as he stood, balancing precariously on the windowsill. The teenager looked up to see the cardboard file, hanging over the edge of the roof. So close, yet so far.

How to get up there, he wondered. There were no more handy window ledges to catch hold of, so it would be quickest to jump. Then he could get out of here.

Shadow managed to turn so that he faced the window. He took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to collect himself.

"Here goes nothing…"

He tensed, crouched, leaped. His fingers scrabbled for purchase on the guttering.

Shadow hung from the edge, breathing hard. His nose was centimetres from the brick wall.

So far, so good. Now he just had to pull himself up…

The hedgehog shifted his grip.

His right hand slipped off the edge.

"Yahhh!" Shadow panicked, loudly. A quick scramble and flurry of legs later, he was sitting on the roof with his feet hanging over the edge, staring incredulously at the ground below.

That was a close one. And, whoa, it was a long way down. He ran a shaky hand over his black and red quills, trembling.

But, he realised with a grin, he had done it. 

The hedgehog picked up the folder which was lying next to him, and held it up triumphantly.

"This had better be worth it!" he yelled at the small figures of the two cats below.

Shadow opened the file and eyed the hefty wad of printouts inside. There was more there than he had expected… he decided to have a quick look now, giving himself time to steady his nerves before attempting the climb down.

He flicked through the mass of paper, noting that there were indeed quite a lot of pages.

"Did you read this stuff?" the hedgehog called down, momentarily forgetting his precarious position.

"No way," Toots shouted back. "I have enough history homework as it is, without having to plough through that lot." The tortoiseshell cat grinned.

Shadow nodded and thumbed through the first few sheets. It looked like his friend had used a search engine and printed out everything she could find about the moon's fate, without really paying much attention to the actual content. No wonder there was so much stuff.

He paused at a pair of photographs; the first showing the moon as an intact sphere, the second depicting it fragmented. They must have been very old photos… the one showing the broken moon lacked the hazy ring of debris that had formed in its wake over the years. The broken pieces were all concentrated near the big crater, which had a dim reddish glow- the damage had only just been done…

Shadow frowned at the images. He had seen this before, but where? The harder he thought about it, the more unreal and distant the feeling of déjà vu became. He just couldn't seem to pin it down.

Scanning the text below the photos, he picked out the words 'Eclipse Cannon' and 'ARK.' Those words also had some sort of meaning for him, but it remained maddeningly elusive. Robotnik's name was there too… had Dr. Eggman blown up the moon? Maybe… but there was still something missing…

The hedgehog sighed in frustration as he felt the beginnings of another headache.

The following pages were mostly geographical and weather reports, stuff about how the damaged moon was affecting the tides and so on. Shadow put those sheets aside when there was no spark of recognition; obviously they didn't concern him.

Then there were some newspaper articles, mostly dated June 2002. 

"Dr. Robotnik proclaims Eggman Empire… moon destroyed by the Eclipse cannon…" Shadow read quietly to himself. "…Space Colony ARK, shut down over 50 years ago…" The hedgehog frowned. So Robotnik had blown up the moon using some kind of weapon on a disused space colony. That was definitely familiar… especially the part about ARK. The man-made satellite was important somehow.

Shadow flicked through the remaining pages, looking for more about ARK. Eventually he came across an item with a picture of his father, and a headline reading 'Heroic Hedgehog Saves World Again'.

The story went on to describe how Sonic had triumphed against overwhelming odds once more, preventing the Space Colony ARK from crashing into the planet. A paragraph caught the young hedgehog's eye.

__

"…Using the power of the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic defeated the creature known as the Ultimate Life Form prototype…"

Ultimate Life Form…?

__

"…And was able to transport the Space Colony back into orbit, aided by the mysterious black hedgehog…"

Shadow looked up. Black hedgehog?

He scrutinised the printout again, excitement building. Further down, another block of text seemingly jumped out at him.

__

"In an exclusive interview," it ran, _"Sonic the Hedgehog described this adventure as his 'toughest ever'. He also stated that the people of this planet owe their lives to one hedgehog who made the ultimate sacrifice, and his name was Shadow…"_

He put the page down and stared into space, unable to read any more.

Shadow…?

His mind whirled… the possibilities were mind-boggling. It couldn't have been another black hedgehog, because there weren't any. Perhaps the hedgehog in the article was his real father, and Shadow had been named after him… or maybe he was….

"…Me…?"

It would explain those fragmented memories, but how was it possible? He hadn't even been born then! The explanations were all in the realm of science fiction… how could that be?

It was just… impossible…

Suddenly, something seemed to_ shift_ in the teenager's mind; the nightmare flashed in his head again… he felt the pain, saw the planet so far below him… then he was _really _falling, and everything went black…

* * * *

"…_When things go wrong I pretend the past isn't real_

Now I'm trapped in this memory

And I'm left in the wake of the mistake, slow to react

Even though you're close to me

You're still so distant and I can't bring you back…"

Voices intruded on the song that was playing in Shadow's head. He let out a low groan and wished they would go away; his headache was bad enough already…

"I think he's waking up," a concerned male voice said.

"Shadow? Can you hear me?" asked another voice, this time female.

"Urgghh."

His eyes fluttered open. After a few moments the hedgehog sat up and rubbed his forehead, wincing.

"Gahh… my head. What… what happened?" he looked around to see that he was lying on the lawn in front of Sid and Toots' house. The cats themselves were hanging over him, worried expressions on their furred faces.

"You fell off the roof, remember?" Sid reminded him.

"I fell?"

Toots nodded.

"Yeah, you just seemed to collapse all of a sudden… Are you okay?"

Shadow blinked a couple of times.

"I… think so…" the ebony hedgehog shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Yes, he had fallen off the roof, he remembered that now. 

Sid helped the dazed teen to his feet, where he staggered slightly before regaining his balance. He then shot a glare at the two feline siblings.

"Now do you see why I hate heights?" he muttered, and brushed a few blades of grass off his black jacket.

"Sorry, Shad…" Toots apologised. "I guess it was a stupid idea." 

Sid nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we thought it would do you good. The best way to conquer your fear is to face it, right?" 

Shadow saw how dejected they were, and smiled reassuringly.

"It's okay… you were just trying to help. Lucky I have a hard head, right?"

"Solid bone," sniggered the tabby, relieved that the hedgehog wasn't really mad at him.

"Shut it, pal." Shadow smirked back. "So how long was I out?"

"Only about ten minutes." Toots frowned. "What spooked you, anyway?"

The hedgehog glanced around at the sheets of paper which now littered the grass. He thought about what he had found, and shivered.

"You haven't read any of those printouts, have you?" he asked again.

"No…"

"Well, something must have upset you," Sid frowned. "When you were knocked out… it was like you were having a nightmare or something."

"Yeah, I…" Shadow's hand went to his head again, and his eyes closed. "…I saw…" he trailed off.

"Saw what?" questioned Sid's sister.

The ruby eyes opened, slightly unfocused.

"That lizard again."

Sid frowned puzzledly.

"You mean Dave's iguana?"

"No." Shadow shook his head. "It was orange and red. And huge." He paused. "I think… my father was there too, only he was younger. At least I think it was Sonic, but he looked more like me- except he was gold instead of black."

The cats looked at each other and shrugged.

"Weird," Toots murmured. "It must have been a really bad dream, because you were yelling things…"

"I was?"

Sid nodded.

"Yeah, it was kind of scary…" The tabby paused, then looked at his friend curiously. "Who is this 'Maria', anyway?"

__

To be continued!

* * * *

Dun-dun-dunnn! (dramatic music) 

Uh oh! Looks like the cack has hit the ventilator, as they say. You'll have to wait for chapter 3 to see what happens. I just love leaving people in suspense! Hahahaha--- ACKK!

Shadow: Gotcha!

Sonic: Was that necessary?! Now _I _have to do the end note…

Shadow: *uncharacteristic snigger*

Sonic: (Sighs) *bored monotone* Uh oh. Looks like the poo his hit the propeller. You'll have to wait for chapter 3. If there is a chapter 3, seeing as Shadow just hit the author over the head with a crowbar and there's no telling if she'll ever regain consciousness. Did you _have_ to do that, stripes?!

Shadow: First she totally butchers my personality, and then she goes around saying the M-word. Yes, of course I had to do that.

Sonic: So she mentioned Maria once. Big deal.

Shadow: …..

Sonic: …Why do I get the feeling I just made a little mistake…

*KRANGG!*

Review, please??


	3. chapter 3

'With You' chapter 3

By T. 'RockChick' Evans

Original idea by Pyro Angel

A/N –Sorry this took so long to get up, but I've been unable to get online for quite a while.

Shadow: 'Cos I hit her on the head.

RockChick: No, 'cos I went to university, stupid.

~

I'm afraid there'll be some Bon Jovi creeping into this fic along with the Linkin Park. I know, I know… I do get carried away with the Bon Jovi, but I seem to have their new single permanently stuck in my head at the moment… not to mention their old ones…

* * * *

"I'm getting really worried about Shadow," Toots said, getting up off the couch to glance out of the window. "He's been out there for hours." Her brother Sid looked up from his seat.

"He said he wanted to be left alone for a while… he's probably gone home by now."

Toots shook her head, her tail mirroring the movement with an agitated swish. 

"No, he's still there. Sitting on the grass, looking in that sketch pad of his… and now it's raining…"

"Really?" Sid frowned, getting up to look. "Shadow usually hates the rain, says it messes his quills up. Something _must_ be wrong." He grinned. The tortoiseshell female glared at him, wishing he would get serious for once.

"…He's been like that ever since you mentioned that 'Maria' he was yelling about." She pondered. Sid shrugged.

"I probably just reminded him of some old girlfriend." He paused, sniggered. "Maybe he got dumped or something..."

"When was the last time he got into a _relationship_?" Toots raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"Good point."

"No," she continued, "It must be more than that. Shadow has been acting strange for a while… maybe I should phone his parents."

"Nah," Sid replied, "That's the _last_ thing he'd want. Let's talk to him."

~

"So your name is Maria…" Shadow mused, studying his drawing. It had to be- he had called her name in his sleep. Everything, all those feelings and echoes of memory that his 'parents' had said were nothing but imagination- they were all real. The information Sid and Toots had found proved it, and even though he still couldn't remember anything coherent, his emotions proved it more than anything.

A small shudder went through him as he became aware of the rain pelting his fur. Was that rain on his face, or tears?

At least no-one could see…

__

"…Sometimes I wait forever just to stand out in the rain

so no one sees me crying, trying to wash away this pain…"

Shadow smiled grimly; there could be part of a song there. But he didn't have the will or the energy to write it down.

"Why'd you leave me alone, Maria…" he murmured quietly, not quite knowing why.

"Told you- he got dumped," someone said, as the rain seemed to abruptly stop. Looking up to see who had spoken, Shadow saw Sid looking at him curiously, while his sister held an umbrella over the already soaked hedgehog.

"You okay, Shad?" Toots added. "You should come in out of this rain…"

Shadow looked around, blinking slowly as if barely aware of the downpour.

"Uh, yeah…" he replied dazedly, and got to his feet. The teen flipped his rather damp pad closed. "I just needed some time to think, that's all…"

They went inside. After Shadow had dried himself off, he moped around, still looking pensive. The black hedgehog restlessly stared at the cloudy sky for a while and sighed, thoughts echoing one of his old songs.

__

"If I'm killed by the questions like a cancer

I'll be buried in the silence of the answer… by myself…"

"Maybe the answers are up there…" he almost-whispered. He sure wasn't going to get any answers from his family...

The two felines looked up from the couch, where they were watching TV.

"What'd you say?" the tabby asked.

"I said… I need to go up there."

Toots tilted her head, quizzically.

"Where?"

"ARK," Shadow breathed, nodding to himself.

"Where?" Sid echoed his sister, frowning. Shadow frowned back.

"You still haven't read those printouts, have you?" the striped hedgehog gestured to the folder on the table, containing the papers which the siblings had gathered up from the lawn some time earlier. The tabby cat shook his head, expression puzzled. Shadow sighed.

"It's a space colony that orbits the planet. ARK is what blew up the moon."

"Wait a minute." Sid's frown deepened. "You must've _really _hit your head… you're saying you want to go into _space?_"

Shadow nodded.

"But that's insane," Toots began, shaking her head. "What about your fear of heights? I mean… how many miles up is that, anyway?"

"That's not important anymore."

"And how are you supposed to get up there in the first place? Hijack the space shuttle?" Sid added.

There was a moment of silence before the hedgehog replied.

"I think… maybe… I know a way."

"Yeah, I _bet_ you do." Sid's tone was sceptical. Shadow glowered for a moment before grabbing the cardboard folder; he began to throw papers this way and that as he searched for the one he was looking for: the newspaper article bearing his name.

Sid and Toots looked on bewilderedly until Shadow held up a page, his face bearing a triumphant expression. The sheet of paper was unceremoniously shoved into Toots' paws.

"Read," the striped hedgehog demanded.

The cats read.

There was a very, very long silence.

"Now do you believe me?" Shadow eventually asked.

His friends nodded dumbly.

"But… that's just not possible!" Toots exclaimed, after a pause. 

"I know, that's what I thought at first." The hedgehog smiled slightly at the cats' shocked expressions. "But somehow, it's true. And I have this feeling that if I want to find out what happened to me, and why I'm here now, I'll have to go to ARK."

The two cats looked at each other for a moment. Then Sid stared at Shadow, his expression serious for once.

"There's definitely something going on here. I'm not sure what it is, but if you need to go to ARK to find out, I'm coming with you."

"Count me in too," Toots added. "Someone's got to keep you boys out of trouble."

The ebony hedgehog grinned at his two friends.

"Thanks, guys." He took the newspaper article from the tortoiseshell cat and re-read it, his red eyes focusing on the part about Chaos Emeralds. It seemed to stir some faint memory. "Okay," Shadow said, looking up, "Here's the plan."

* * * *

Later…

"I really don't know if this is such a good idea, Shadow." Toots shook her head, her paw hovering over the doorbell of Sonic's place. "Stealing Sonic's Chaos Emerald? We could get in real trouble." 

Shadow smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not stealing if my parents give it to us. Besides, I'll give it back when we've finished with it."

"Huh," Sid snorted. "We should've got Rouge to pinch one of Knuckles' emeralds…"

"I don't think she's in that line of work anymore." Shadow shook his head, smirking. "And imagine what'd happen if Knuckles found out?!" He drew a finger sharply across his neck.

"That's not as bad as what Sonic's gonna do to us…" Sid muttered.

"My dad? I can handle him. He's a pussycat."

Toots raised an eyebrow.

"_I'm _a pussycat. He's a hedgehog."

"Oh ha ha. Just ring the flipping doorbell while I get out of here; my parents won't let me get anywhere near that emerald. And remember to stick to the plan!" The hedgehog dived around the corner, out of sight.

Toots rang the bell; the door was instantaneously opened by Sonic.

"Hi," Sid began, surprised by the quick response- until he reminded himself of who they were dealing with.

"If you two are looking for autographs, that's not until Tuesday…" the blue hedgehog said with a grin.

"No," Toots shook her head, before launching into the little script she had thought up. "We're doing this school project and we were wondering if…"

"Whoa, wait a sec-" Sonic interrupted. "I've seen you around, you're Shadow's friends, right?"

"Right," Sid nodded. "We're part of the band," he added proudly. Sonic nodded thoughtfully, wearing a serious expression.

"You haven't seen him anywhere, have you?" asked the hedgehog. "He ran off this morning, and I haven't seen him since… I'm kind of worried."

"N-no…" Toots answered hastily. "I, er, haven't seen Shadow in ages..."

"Yeah, you know what he's like. Always running off somewhere. Heheh..." Sid added, eyes flicking in the direction Shadow had taken off in.

"Hmmm, yeah…I can guess where he got that from," Sonic mused, tapping his chin. He looked up, suspicion glinting in green eyes. "You _sure_ you haven't seen Shadow around?"

"Nope!" the two cats chorused.

Sonic went 'hmmmm' again, frowning slightly.

"Sonic, did I hear the door?" A voice suddenly called from inside the house. The blue hedgehog turned and shouted back.

"S'okay, Amy- it's just some of Shadow's friends doing a school project."

"Oh," Amy replied. "They haven't seen him, have they?"

"I don't think so." Sonic turned back to the two felines, who sighed in relief. "Now, what's this project you need help with?"

The brother and sister looked at each other.

"We're studying Chaos Emeralds," Explained Toots. "We heard you've got one, so can we borrow it for an hour or two, please?"

"Chaos Emeralds, huh?" Sonic frowned. "I don't remember doing _that _in school. Then again, I never really paid much attention. Learned all about them by experience, anyway…" He smirked and shrugged, before turning serious again. "I don't know about this. Those emeralds have caused enough trouble already…"

"It's only for a few hours," Sid entreated. 

"And we'll be really careful…" Toots finished, batting her eyelashes.

The blue hedgehog sighed. "Oh, all right. I guess I can trust you two, seeing as you're Shadow's friends and everything. But I don't want some crazy getting his hands on it, so you mustn't show the emerald to anyone, okay?"

"We won't, Mr. Hedgehog," the siblings grinned.

"Hmmm." With a quick backwards glance, Sonic was gone… and returned an eye-blink later, clutching the Chaos Emerald. He passed it to Sid, who examined the glowing gemstone; it was green, and just small enough to be carried in one hand.

"If anything happens to that emerald," Sonic warned in a dangerous tone of voice, "I will be _very _annoyed. Okay?"

"Okay," Toots confirmed, while Sid nodded frantically beside her.

Sonic watched as the two young cats walked off, wondering if he had just made a very big mistake.

* * * *

Shadow, Sid and Toots examined the glowing emerald.

"Okay," Sid began, "Now we've got the thing, what are we gonna do with it?"

"Yeah, it's pretty and everything, but… how can this rock get us all the way to ARK?" Toots added. 

All eyes turned to Shadow.

"I'm not really sure…" the dark hedgehog answered, receiving various dirty looks in return.

"Wait a minute," said the tabby, "We went to all that trouble to get the emerald, and you don't know what to do with it?!"

Shadow looked thoughtful, uncertainly scratching his ear.

"Well… it's more of a feeling, really- that newspaper article said that I- if it _was_ me- used the emeralds to move ARK. And I can almost remember…something…" he shrugged confusedly. "Maybe if you gave it to me, I could…?"

Sid passed the emerald to the hedgehog, who gasped audibly as its power flowed up his arm, infusing his body, seeming to cut though the fog in his brain. Shadow shifted the gem into his other hand and--

* * * *

__

--caught it, then tossed it into the air again as he gazed down from the rooftop. He continued to idly toss and catch the emerald as he gazed contemptuously at the other life form on the street below. 

The Chaos Emerald landed in his palm with a solid smack, defying anyone to try to take it from him.

"My name is Shadow," he stated in a voice devoid of emotion, throwing the green gem once more. Ruby eyes glinted coldly.

"I'm the world's Ultimate Life Form."

Shadow observed the blue figure below, who had been shocked into silence. There was some resemblance between the two of them; they were the same species -in appearance at least- but the black hedgehog saw nothing but a pathetic impostor. He glanced up, noticing the approaching G.U.N vehicles with distaste. It was time to leave. The resemblance between the two hedgehogs could work to his advantage; with any luck, the military would mistake the blue one for him again.

Shadow tossed the emerald for the final time.

"There's no time for games. Farewell!"

Shadow caught the emerald.

"Chaos control!"

The universe filled with green light…

* * * *

--Shadow blinked and shook his head.

"Whoa…" He looked around, finding himself back with Sid and Toots, who were still looking at him expectantly. That vision, flashback, or whatever it was must have only lasted a second or two. It was fading now, but was that Sonic he had seen? The hedgehog shivered slightly at the thoughts that had been going through his head…. Hate and revenge…darkness…

And Shadow had a nagging feeling that the emerald hadn't been given to him willingly.

If that was the kind of person he had once been, maybe he didn't want to know…

__

"I wanna run away,

never say goodbye…"

"You okay, Shad?" Toots asked gently. The dark hedgehog forced a smile, deciding not to let his friends know about his suspicions.

"I'm fine," he nodded. "And I think I remember what I have to do now." He eyed the Chaos Emerald; at least the flashback had shown him that much.

Maybe he didn't want to know, but he _needed_ to. He had to go to ARK and find out who he really was.

__

"I wanna know the truth

instead of wondering why…"

Shadow carefully gripped the emerald with one hand, and extended the other to the two cats.

"Grab hold, guys…"

"Huh?" Toots frowned. Shadow sighed impatiently.

"Just trust me, okay?"

Seeing the intense look in their friend's eyes, the siblings glanced at each other. They shrugged; Toots took Shadow's hand, while her brother grabbed the tortoiseshell's tail and grinned wickedly. Toots shot him a deadly look.

__

"I wanna know the answers

no more lies…"

Shadow made sure the two cats were on board, and closed his eyes in concentration. He tried to focus on ARK and managed to coax a vague mental image from his memory; hoping it was enough to get the three animals there, he allowed instinct to take over as he drew power from the Chaos Emerald. He felt, rather than saw, a green aura form around him.

"Chaos control!"

Then they were gone…

__

"I wanna shut the door

and open up my mind…"

To be continued…

* * * *

Behold, the serious bit.

Bet you're wondering where the rest of the story is, right? Sorry this chapter is so short and rubbish, but I have my hands full at the moment with university stuff. Plus, I can't get on ff.net much anymore because the university computers are 'for academic use only'. So I have to sneak online…. Arrrghhh…

Don't worry though, it's not like I'm giving up writing or anything. It just might take a little longer than usual to get stuff done.

Anyway, I've heard about ff.net banning script-fics and NC-17 fics, which sucks. Two of my fics have gotta go, one because it's script, the other due to a copyright thing. Luckily this is not one of them, so you can expect chapter 4… er… sometime.

Oh well, that's life…

--Thalia


	4. chapter 4

'With You' chapter 4

By T. 'RockChick' Evans

Original idea by Pyro Angel

A/N –Look, I wrote a new chapter! Whoohoo! 

Uh oh… this fic is getting darker. Fans of the _Alien_ films may get a little déjà vu here, as bits of this chapter were inspired by them. Whoops, said too much :)

Thanks for all the reviews, people. I know the last chapter kind of cut off at the end, but I wanted to at least get something up. Hard to write fanfics when I've gotta think up other ideas for my Narrative Structure assessment at university- which is basically story writing- and I don't want my main character to end up being a Shadow clone. Not that there's anything wrong with Shadow, but my tutor would _not _be impressed if I handed in a piece of fan fiction.

And then there's my animation and creative drawing assignments… god I hate stress.

Hmmm, my eyes just went all swirly. I wonder why… @.@

* * * *

The room was large, but the deep shadows made the once open space seem claustrophobic. The air was heavy with dust and the silence of decades; only a handful of people had been here over the course of almost three quarters of a century. Banks of silent machines were just visible in the corners, and a strange construction, looking metallic but somehow organic, dominated the centre of the room.

"_A spot of light floods the floor_

and pours over the rusted world of pretend

the eyes ease open and it's dark again…"

The shadows flickered wildly as the green glow receded, leaving three figures blinking in the gloom.

"Whoa," Muttered Shadow, his voice echoing a little. He gazed incredulously at the green Chaos Emerald in his hand- now the only real light source in the room. The black hedgehog glanced at the two figures behind him, but the two cat-shaped silhouettes were too shocked to say anything, and just stared at him with large frightened eyes. Shadow slowly shook his head, and promptly fell over.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sid quickly darted forward, catching the hedgehog before he hit the floor.

"Yeah, I… I'm just tired…" Embarrassed, Shadow regained his balance and pushed the tabby away. "I guess it's because ARK is so far away, and maybe I'm a little out of practice…" he gave an apologetic grin.

"But you've never done that before," a confused Toots frowned.

"Not in this lifetime," the hedgehog replied vaguely. He glanced again at the emerald, feeling his fatigue vanish as he drew power from it.

"Wait a sec- what exactly _did_ you do, anyway? That was too weird." Sid glanced around, trying and failing to make sense of the dark room. "So this is ARK?" 

"Probably," Shadow shrugged. "If I got that Chaos Control thing right."

"Maybe we should switch the lights on and find out." Although they were alone in the room, Toots spoke in a whisper- it just felt right to do so. "Well, Shadow- I don't know how you did that, but at least now we know you aren't crazy," she continued, wandering over to the platform in the centre of the room.

"Yeah, weird maybe- but definitely not crazy," Sid joked, promptly receiving a shove from behind.

"I got you here, didn't I?" Shadow grinned in the darkness. He could just see what looked like a door nearby; wandering over to it, he found it tightly locked. The black hedgehog sighed, spotting a little control panel by the door.

"Looks like there's no way out until we get the power back on," he called to his friends.

Toots squinted at the seven-sided control panel in the centre of the room, looking for some way to restore electricity to the deactivated space station.

"Any luck?"

She turned slightly to see a dim form looking over her shoulder, its height identifying it as her brother.

"Hmm." The tortoiseshell cat turned back to the machine, gesturing at the strange slots in each of the seven sides. "Looks like the Chaos Emerald would fit in one of those holes…"

"Hey Shadow!" Sid yelled loudly, making his sister cover her large, tufted ears.

"Yeah?" Shadow looked away from the door. His dark figure was nearly invisible, apart from where the glow from the green emerald reflected on his earring.

"Bring the emerald over here, will you?" asked Toots. It was strange, she thought, how the hedgehog's young but already deep voice didn't sound as out-of-place as hers or Sid's. The dark gave it an almost sinister quality.

The Chaos Emerald was quickly slotted into the control panel, which immediately lit up like a Christmas tree. Toots grinned smugly, but her face fell when the rest of the room remained dark. She brushed a layer of dust off the surface of a computer screen, and groaned as she read the glowing text there.

"Uh, password…?"

"Allow me." Shadow stepped up to the control panel, and paused for a moment, thinking. "Hmmm…"

"Shadow…?" Sid frowned.

"Sssh! I'm trying to think." The hedgehog's eyes fell half-closed. Maybe this was something he knew, like Chaos Control… as he thought about it, he _did_ get the feeling that he had done this before…

~

__

"I've been waiting for you, doctor." Shadow glanced at Robotnik before slipping the green emerald into its compartment. "Not many people know that ARK was a centre for researching weapons of mass destruction…"

He raised a hand, and typed a sequence of letters into the keyboard…

~

"Password accepted. Welcome, Shadow…" the screen flashed.

"Wow." Shadow shook his head, returning to reality. "I _have_ been here before… I remembered the password, and..." he trailed off, re-reading his name on the screen.

Had he been working with _Robotnik…?_!

Sid and Toots stared at the screen, then at the hedgehog. They wondered if their friend was who they thought he was.

"Hey, the screen just changed," Sid exclaimed after a few moments. It now read:

"Rebooting. System has determined that Stages 1-2 have failed due to outside interference. Would you like to retry Stages 1-2 manually? Y/N"

"Now what, Shad?" Sid asked expectantly..

"I don't know… what's Stage 1?" Shadow shrugged.

"I thought you knew all this stuff."

"No," the hedgehog corrected, "I know _bits_ of this 'stuff'. As for _that_-" he pointed towards the screen, "I don't have a clue."

"Maybe it'll get the power back on," Toots offered hopefully, typing 'Y'.

The screen went blank for a few moments, and a mechanical coughing sound rumbled up from beneath the floor. It faded to an unhealthy whine and died, a new message popping up on the screen.

"Error: Cannot initiate stage 1- insufficient power. All seven Chaos Emeralds are required. 

Error: Cannot initiate stage 2- release mechanism already deployed. Prototype {PS 1.42} missing."

"So much for that idea," Sid muttered.

"What does all that stuff mean?" Toots wondered. 

"Means it's not gonna work."

"I _know_ that, genius…"

Shadow shushed them both and pointed at the screen, which had changed again.

"Would you like to initiate stage 3? Y/N"

His gloved hand hovered over the keyboard again. He wasn't too sure about all this, and didn't like the sinking feeling those messages on the screen had given him. However, the ebony hedgehog's curiosity got the better of him, and after a moment's thought he hit the 'Y' key.

A shaft of light suddenly shot upwards from the centre of the control panel. Spreading outwards from the middle of the room, lights in the ceiling began to turn on. The machines around the walls clicked and whrirred into life, some of them shorting out with tiny puffs of smoke after being dormant for so long.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the sudden increase in light levels, then smirked at the computer screen. It now read "Stage 3 initialisation complete."

The hedgehog stared around the room, and shivered. The dias in the centre with its oddly organic-looking machinery and flickering holograms… yes, he had been here before. He couldn't picture when or why, he just _knew._

"Welcome to ARK, guys…" he murmured quietly.

The door opened easily now that the electricity was working. The three animals walked out into the dusty corridors, not noticing the Chaos Emerald disappear into the slot in the control panel, on its way to who-knows where. As the door slid shut, the computer screen changed again. 

Years before, the computer had been programmed to use the Chaos Emeralds to crash ARK into the planet. This had failed, and the computer had executed its next program- releasing the Biolizard, which also failed. Now the computer had been manually overridden by someone with the correct password, and instructed to carry out Dr. Gerald's third and final plan.

A timer appeared and began to count down.

"Beginning stage 3: self destruct mode."

* * * *

"I still don't get it," Sid frowned as he walked along, scratching his head. He gave Shadow a puzzled stare. "That Chaos-thing you did was pretty impressive, and I've read that article about you and Sonic saving the world. So when you say you've been here before, I believe you…" he paused. "But how could you have, when it was before you were born?"

"That's what I was wondering, too," Toots added.

Shadow, who was walking slightly in front of the two cats, looked back apologetically.

"I don't know… I just don't know." He sighed, ruby eyes going back to their examination of the dusty walls, floor and ceiling.

"There's got to be some rational explanation," the tortoiseshell cat reasoned. "I mean… cloning, reincarnation…"

"Rational, huh." Sid raised an eyebrow and smirked.

There was another long silence as they passed more rooms, each one empty and with its door blasted down.

"Whoa, G.U.N really cleaned out this place," Sid observed as he peered around another doorway. "There's nothing left. It's like one of those robbed tombs you see on the Discovery channel."

Shadow gave him a withering look, wishing he wouldn't talk about tombs, but knowing he was right. This _was_a tomb, at least it felt like one. He managed to suppress a shudder, and sighed again.

"I know… but if we don't find anything, maybe I'll never know who I really am. This whole place is familiar, but… I …I need something to help me remember." The hedgehog paused, then added quietly; "Then again, maybe I don't want to." He stopped walking and took a deep breath, a little surprised that he had managed to admit it.

"Why not? I thought…" Toots frowned.

"You haven't seen what I've seen," he interrupted. Shadow had never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but if his feelings were going to come out, it might as well be now. "The things I remember, they… aren't pleasant." He started to stride down the corridor again.

The cats followed, keeping pace this time, and waited for Shadow to continue. Eventually it became clear that he wasn't going to.

"You mean that orange lizard you told us about?" Sid prompted.

The hedgehog gulped.

"Yeah. But not just that… there're things I remember about myself, too. Mostly feelings and images. I hate to admit it, but they scare me… " his fists clenched. "And then there's…Maria…" he added in a choked half-whisper.

For a few moments, neither Sid nor Toots could think of anything to say.

"Well, uh… we can always go home?" Sid suggested hesitantly.

"No," Shadow said forcefully. That inner voice was back, telling him to stop being so pathetic. 

Toots glanced her friend, startled. She had never heard that tone of voice from him before; it was fierce and determined, yet somehow calm and logical at the same time. It may have been the light, but that frown made him seem older. 

"I've come too close to just give up now. I can't run away from this, not even if I am afraid. I have to know who Maria was, and I have to know who _I _was." 

He saw the surprised expressions on the two cats' faces and sighed. This was exactly why he was afraid; Shadow knew it wasn't like him to act like that. Or maybe it _was_ like him, and he just didn't know it yet. But still, lately he'd felt like he was becoming someone else…

"Sorry about that," he apologised, grinning sheepishly in an attempt to reassure the others.

* * * *

"What's this door?"

Sid pointed at the entrance in question, a heavily reinforced slab of metal set flush with the wall. It had been sturdy enough to begin with, but at some point somebody had hastily welded several thick metal bars across it.

"Looks like someone was determined to keep people out."

Shadow examined the door and bars, noting that this door had blast marks like the others. But they were partly covered by the metal bars…

"I think," he said, "There's something in there that G.U.N didn't want us to see."

"And we won't get to see it, either," Toots pointed out. "Not with those things in the way." 

The three friends examined the bars.

"Well, they look pretty rusty…" Shadow eventually pronounced. "Hmm…"

Sid tugged at one of the girders, grunting. He let go and shook his head.

"Nope, solid as a rock."

"Hmm," Shadow repeated. He scanned the door again, noting a black, sooty mark and a large dent below the lowest bar. Crouching, he kicked at the weak spot; the door gave way a little, and he smirked. Several powerful kicks later, Shadow had bent the door inwards enough to make a space underneath that was just big enough to crawl though. One tight squeeze and some ripped clothes after that, the hedgehog and two cats got to their feet, brushed the dust off themselves and found themselves in another corridor. The doors here were open too, but the rooms were not empty.

They picked one at random and went inside.

* * * *

Wide eyed, they found themselves in a spacious laboratory- it actually looked more like some kind of museum, what with the glass tubes that dominated the space. They ranged in size from pillars which touched the ceiling to tiny test tubes. There must have been about fifty of them; each contained something, but the coating of dust over everything made it impossible to see what.

Bewildered, Sid stared around the room. Each tube had a number, he noticed; the ones nearest him all bore the label PS 1.-something, and most had a thick folder of notes in a holder attached to the glass.

The tabby cat stopped at a tube labelled {PS 1.13},which was about as tall as he was, and wiped at the glass with a paw. Ignoring the dust marring his gloves, he stared into the container.

Suspended in clear liquid was a strange lumpy form. About half Sid's size, it was a dirty white in colour and curled into a tight ball. The preserved creature sported a thick tail and gills along its neck and sides.

"Yuck, reminds me of biology class."

Making a disgusted face, Sid looked away from the dead thing. Still curious, his hand reached for the folder.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"What the?!" Sid jerked, searching for the source of the yell. "Shadow?"

The two cats found him nearby, frozen in front of a container much bigger than the others. 

"Are you okay?" Toots exclaimed, trying to get the trembling hedgehog's attention. He gave her a brief, haunted stare, then turned back to the glass tube.

"Th…that's…" he pointed to the creature suspended in the liquid, visible where he had wiped away the dust.

"Whoa, no wonder you yelled so loud. That is _ugly_." Sid stared into the glass. The nightmare thing seemed to stare back, even though it had no eyes. It resembled the smaller creature he had seen, but this one seemed more developed; its powerful arms and stumpy hind legs were clearly visible, as were the crushing jaws and the pattern of scales on its faded orange skin. The tail hung limply in the fluid; the only good thing about it was that it was dead.

"Is that your lizard?" Toots asked softly. Shadow, who seemed to have regained some control over himself, turned away from the reptile and shook his head.

"It… it looks like it, but… the one I remember was bigger, a lot bigger. And it had machines attached to it."

"Listen to this," Sid began, holding up the folder of notes. "Project Shadow, prototype no. 1.41," he read from the cover. The cat quickly flicked to the last page.

"The subject proved unable to survive without assistance. Next attempt may require a life support system. Perhaps it is time to alter my designs…"

After reading the last paragraph, Sid put the folder down. There was a shocked silence which lasted until a quiet murmur escaped the dark hedgehog.

"Project _Shadow_…?"

He moved further into the lab, as if in a daze. Exchanging worried glances, the feline siblings followed, watching as Shadow wiped clean a couple of smaller containers. These were in a separate area of their own, and were labelled {C1} and {C2}.

"Chao? He was doing experiments on Chao?"

"Who's 'he', Shadow?" 

Confused and finding no immediate answer to Toots' question, Shadow simply said he didn't know. He glanced again at the preserved Chao. One of them was a Dark type, black with red stripes and a white crescent on its chest. Incredulously, the hedgehog examined the attached folder…

"…Although I succeeded in halting the ageing process with my previous prototypes, true immortality was still beyond my reach. But an unexpected discovery has led me to believe that these creatures hold the answer…" the hedgehog read aloud. He looked up, allowing the folder to slip out of his hands.

"Of course. Chao… I still can't remember, but I… I understand now…"

"Understand what?" Sid frowned. Shadow waved a hand at the two small containers, his expression wild-eyed.

"Don't you get it? It makes perfect sense. Chao… sometimes they don't die. They just keep coming back, like they resurrect themselves or something…"

"What has that got to do with--" Sid began. Then he stopped, eyes going wide. "--Oh. You can't be serious."

"Yes…" Shadow nodded. "And if that happened to me, then I… I must be…_what am I?!"_

"My name is Shadow. I'm the world's Ultimate Life Form…" he thought dazedly. He noticed detachedly that the few tubes that came after the Chao were labelled {PS 2-something.} Several of them were about his size. Shadow didn't want to look into them, because he knew that he might come face to face with himself.

"_Against my will I stand beside my own reflection_

it's haunting how I can't seem

to find myself again

my walls are closing in…"

The hedgehog stared wildly around the room, shaking. Then he was gone at supersonic speed, the glass tubes rocking in his wake; one of them, more of a pod than a tube, fell over and smashed on the floor.

Sid and Toots looked at each other, hearing a loud _clang_ moments later. They ran out of the room to find the barred door bashed down, and no sign of Shadow anywhere.

The cats set off in pursuit, and yet again they didn't bother to check what was happening behind them.

* * * * 

The smashed pod had been both more complicated, and more reinforced than the others in the room. Its label read {PS 2.0}. The folder documenting the progress of the experiment had fallen open; if anyone had bothered to read the page, they would not have ignored it so completely.

"This first fusing of hedgehog, Biolizard and Chao genetic material proved successful, however the subject seems to have retained the mental instability of the original Biolizard (Project Shadow ver. 1.42). The subject has proved exceptionally aggressive and difficult to control. It has been put into stasis for further study..."

Coiled in a growing pool of liquid, the creature slowly stirred. Raising its head, it tasted the air with a forked tongue before opening its pupil-less, slitted red eyes. In one quick, serpentine movement it had raised itself to its full height of about eight feet, balancing itself on a slender three-pronged tail. 

The last of the fluid dripped from the black scales and the patch of white hair on its' chest. The creature flexed a pair of dangerously clawed hands, unfurled its oversized Dark-Chao-like batwings and went in search of something to kill.

__

To be continued…

* * * *

RockChick: I'm quite proud of myself, I did this all in one go!

Shadow: What the HECK was that all about?! I'M A CHAO????????????????!!!!!!!!!

RockChick: …er…no…

Shadow: But you said I was- jeez, your writing sucks.

RC: *****sigh***** I didn't say you were. You're a hedgehog with some Chao DNA. I just thought it was a nice, neat little explanation…

Shadow: Yeah, but… Chao? It's so degrading, they're all cute and, and…

RC: Shadow, you're cute anyway. *grumble*

Shadow: And Chao don't always get reborn, you know--

RC: And you'd know, considering how you always kick 'em all over the garden.

Shadow: Shut. Up.

RC: Besides, I have a perfectly rational explanation for that-

Shadow: Which you haven't thought of yet…

RC: *Growl* Yes I have.

Shadow: Oh yeah, not that I care, but… why's this fic so dark all of a sudden? What happened to the comedy, huh? You're gonna lose all your readers.

RC: I happen to like 'dark' and so do you, so quit complaining.

Shadow: *grumblegrumble*

RC: …What readers, anyway?

Shadow: So I'm part Chao now.

RC: Yup.

Shadow: OK, fine then. I'll give you _Chao_… *grumble*( he sits down and does that cocoon thing.)

RC: Huh…?

(Shadow evolves into that lizard thing from the end of the fic)

Lizard thing: Raaaaaaaaaaargh.

RC: …Uh oh…

Lizard thing: Munch. (eats RockChick)


End file.
